Vaimauga’s milestone, All Blacks setback and Tall Blacks keep rolling

Demetric Vaimauga marked his 50th National Rugby League (NRL) match in style, scoring as the Warriors ran in a 46-32 win over the Newcastle Knights at Go Media Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The 22-year-old came off the bench for 31 minutes, making 94 metres from eight runs, including seven hit-ups, along with two tackle breaks and a try in the 35th minute.

Vaimauga’s milestone was followed by a special haka after the match, with some of his teammates honouring him alongside two debutants, Tigers signing Luke Laulili’i and young half Jett Cleary.

The celebration also highlighted the young talent in the Warriors squad, with 11 of their 19 players aged 23 or younger.

The win moved the Warriors back to the top of the NRL ladder.

They face the ninth-placed Manly Sea Eagles on Saturday, 5 September, with kick-off at 5pm NZT.

All Blacks suffer first Rennie defeat

Earlier on Sunday the All Blacks suffered their first defeat under head coach Dave Rennie, going down 33-26 to the Springboks in Cape Town, South Africa.

New Zealand scored four tries to South Africa’s three and held advantages in possession, line breaks and carries.

But the handling errors and discipline problems allowed the Springboks to stay in control.

Cheslin Kolbe kicked four penalties as South Africa levelled the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1.

The All Blacks had 57 per cent possession, made eight line breaks to the Springboks’ five and carried 154 times compared with the hosts’ 104.

But the numbers could not tell the full story, with South Africa’s defence repeatedly stopping New Zealand from turning pressure into points.

Rennie told journalists after the match he is “confident we can bounce back” ahead of the third Test at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, 6 September.

Tupou Vaa'i of the All Blacks. Photo/Ron Gaunt/Photosport.

Tall Blacks make it six straight

In basketball, the New Zealand Tall Blacks continued their strong run in Asian World Cup qualifying with a 126-74 win over Syria in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday night (NZT).

The result made it six straight victories for Aotearoa and moved the Kiwis into second place in their qualifying group behind Australia.

Head coach Judd Flavell was pleased with the way his team responded after Syria guard James Justice Jr caused problems in the first half.

“A much better second half for us. We started off great at the start, but then we probably took the foot off the pedal in some aspects,” RNZ reported.

Reuben Te Rangi of the Tall Blacks. Photo/Jayne Russell/Photosport.

Justice Jr scored 20 points in the first half before the Tall Blacks made it a focus to shut him down after halftime.

“Justice was doing a lot of damage in that first half, he didn't have too many opportunities, but he made us pay when he did,” Flavell said. “It was a real focus of ours to keep him quiet in the second half and we did that.”

The Tall Blacks’ next qualifying games are against Jordan and Syria in late November, with the venue yet to be confirmed.